Handheld cleaning device for use with disposable cleaning towel

ABSTRACT

A cleaning device operable for use with a disposable cleaning towel is provided. A housing extends between a housing top portion and an opposing housing bottom portion. The housing bottom portion and the housing top portion define a first housing cavity. A platform is disposed at least partially within the first housing cavity. A pad is attached to the platform and defines a surface on which a disposable cleaning towel may be mated. The platform, and thus the pad, are selectively moveable relative to the housing, between a first position and a second position. In the first position, a housing mounting surface is at least substantially flush relative to the pad mounting surface. In the second position, the housing mounting surface is positioned within the pad aperture such that a distance extends between a plane defined by the housing mounting surface and a plane defined by the pad mounting surface.

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/007,521 filed on Jun. 4, 2014, thecontents of which are hereby incorporated in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a cleaning device, and moreparticularly relates to a handheld cleaning device for use with adisposable cleaning towel.

The cleaning of household surfaces (e.g., bathroom surfaces, kitchensurfaces, etc.) is often done using a disposable cleaning towel (e.g., apaper towel, a cloth towel, etc.). The cleaning towel can be provided ina dry condition, or it can be pre-wetted (e.g., pre-wetted with acleaning solution). The cleaning towel can be effective at cleaningsurfaces, but can be problematic in that its use can cause a user toexperience skin irritation, fingernail irritation, and/or dry skin.Further, use of the cleaning towel typically requires the user to touchthe cleaning towel after it has been soiled with materials that may beundesirable and/or unhealthy to touch. The present invention is directedto these and other problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention, a cleaning deviceoperable for use with a disposable cleaning towel is provided. Thecleaning device includes a housing, a platform, and a pad. The housingextends between a housing top portion and an opposing housing bottomportion. The housing top portion is configured to be held by a user. Thehousing bottom portion defines a housing mounting surface to which thedisposable cleaning towel may be removably attached. The housing bottomportion and the housing top portion at least partially define a firsthousing cavity there between. The platform is disposed at leastpartially within the first housing cavity. The pad is attached to theplatform. The pad defines a pad aperture through which a part of thehousing bottom portion extends. The pad also defines a pad mountingsurface with which the disposable cleaning towel can be mated during useof the cleaning device. The platform, and thus the pad, are selectivelymoveable relative to the housing, between a first position and a secondposition. In the first position, the housing mounting surface is atleast substantially flush relative to the pad mounting surface. In thesecond position, the housing mounting surface is positioned within thepad aperture such that a distance extends between a plane defined by thehousing mounting surface and a plane defined by the pad mountingsurface, which causes the disposable cleaning towel to disengage fromthe housing mounting surface.

In addition to, or as an alternative to, one or more of the featuresdescribed above, further aspects of the present invention can includeone or more of the following features, individually or in combination:

-   -   a grip disposed relative to the housing top portion to aid a        user in gripping the cleaning device;    -   an ejector operable to effect movement of the platform between        its first position and its second position;    -   a mechanical fastener disposed relative to at least one of the        housing and the pad to aid in positionally fixing the disposable        cleaning towel relative to the cleaning device during use; and    -   a scooper disposed relative to at least one of the housing and        the pad to aid in collecting materials from a surface being        cleaned during use of the cleaning device.

These and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent inlight of the drawings and detailed description provided below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a top-side isometric view of an embodiment of thepresent cleaning device.

FIG. 2 illustrates a right-side elevation view of the cleaning device ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front-side elevation view of the cleaning device ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 4 illustrates a bottom-side isometric view of the cleaning deviceof FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the cleaning deviceof FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 illustrates a right-side elevation view of another embodiment ofthe present cleaning device.

FIG. 7 illustrates a right-side elevation view of the cleaning device ofFIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, the present disclosure describes a handheldcleaning device 10 operable for use with a disposable cleaning towel(not shown). The disposable cleaning towel may be any type of materialused for cleaning surfaces, such as for example a paper towel, a clothtowel, or a towel made from a non-woven material.

The present disclosure describes aspects of the present invention withreference to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings;however, the present invention is not limited to the exemplaryembodiments illustrated in the drawings.

The present disclosure uses the terms “mate,” and variations thereof, todescribe one or more features. The term “mate,” and variations thereof,are used herein to indicate that a first feature is disposed relative toa second feature (e.g., fit on or together with a second feature).

Referring still to FIGS. 1-5, the cleaning device 10 includes a housing12, a pad 14 (see FIGS. 1-4), and a platform 16 (see FIG. 5). Thehousing 12 extends between a housing top portion 18 and an opposinghousing bottom portion 20 (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The housing top portion18 is configured to be held by a user. The housing bottom portion 20defines one or more housing mounting surfaces 22 (see FIGS. 4 and 5)that are used to removably attach a disposable cleaning towel (notshown). The housing 12 further includes a first housing cavity 24 (seeFIG. 5) that is defined on three sides by the inner walls of the housingtop and bottom portions 18, 20. The platform 16 is disposed at leastpartially within the first housing cavity 24. The pad 14 is attached tothe platform 16. The pad 14 defines one or more pad apertures 26 (seeFIG. 4) through which one or more parts of the housing bottom portion 20extend, and a pad mounting surface 28 (see FIG. 4) on which thedisposable cleaning towel can be mated during use of the cleaning device10. The platform 16 (and thus the pad 14) are selectively moveablerelative to the housing 12, between a first position (see FIGS. 1-5) anda second position (not shown). In the first position, the one or morehousing mounting surfaces 22 are at least substantially flush (i.e.,co-planar) relative to the pad mounting surface 28. In the secondposition, the housing mounting surfaces 22 are positioned withinrespective pad apertures 26, such that a distance extends between eachof the respective planes defined by the housing mounting surfaces 22 anda plane defined by the pad mounting surface 28.

In some embodiments, including the illustrated embodiment, the cleaningdevice 10 additionally includes a grip 30 disposed relative to thehousing top portion 18 to aid a user in gripping the cleaning device 10,and/or an ejector 32 operable to effect movement of the platform 16between its first position and its second position. In some embodimentsnot shown in the drawings, the cleaning device 10 additionally includesone or more mechanical fasteners (e.g., clamps, clips, hooks, etc.)disposed relative to the housing 12 and/or the pad 14 to aid inpositionally fixing the disposable cleaning towel (not shown) relativeto the cleaning device 10 during use. In some embodiments, including theembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the cleaning deviceadditionally includes a scooper 60 disposed relative to the housing 12and/or the pad 14 to aid in collecting materials (e.g., crumbs, dirt,etc.) from the surface being cleaned during use of the cleaning device10.

Referring to FIG. 5, the housing 12 can be configured in variousdifferent ways. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing top portion18 includes a generally rectangular-shaped housing 12, and a housinghandle 36 extending from the housing top portion 18 in a heightwisedirection. The housing handle 36 is ergonomically shaped so as to makethe housing handle (and thus the cleaning device 10 as a whole)comfortable to hold in one hand during use. The housing bottom portion20 includes two (2) housing legs 38 that each extend in a heightwisedirection away from the housing top portion 18. The housing legs 38 eachdefine a housing mounting surface 22 that is operable to be removablyattached to a disposable cleaning towel (not shown). The housingmounting surfaces 22 can include one or more materials (e.g., adhesivematerials) and/or or one or more structures (e.g., hook and loopstructures such as Velcro) that are disposed on the housing mountingsurfaces 22 to enable a disposable cleaning towel to be removablyattached to the housing mounting surfaces. In one embodiment, thehousing mounting surfaces 22 each have a Velcro material disposed ontheir respective surfaces. In this embodiment, the disposable cleaningtowel (not shown) includes a towel cleaning surface and an opposingtowel mounting surface, and the towel mounting surface includes a Velcromaterial configured to mate with the Velcro material of the housingmounting surfaces 22.

The housing 12 can be made of one or more materials that are known inthe art, such as plastics. The materials can be selected such that thehousing 12 is relatively rigid, and thus suitable for translatingmovement of the housing 12 to the disposable cleaning towel (not shown)disposed relative to the pad 14 and the housing mounting surfaces 22. Inone embodiment, the housing is made from polypropylene.

Referring to FIG. 5, the platform 16 can be configured in variousdifferent ways. In the illustrated embodiment, the platform 16 is agenerally rectangular-shaped member that extends in a heightwisedirection between a platform bottom surface 40 and a platform topsurface 42. The platform 16 is disposed within the first housing cavity24, which is defined by respective inner surfaces of the housing legs38, and respective inner surfaces of the housing 12 and the housinghandle 36. The platform 16 slidably engages the respective innersurfaces of the housing legs 38.

The platform 16 can be made of one or more materials that are known inthe art, such as a plastic. The materials can be selected such that theplatform 16 is relatively rigid, and thus suitable to enable movement ofthe platform 16 relative to the housing 12. In one embodiment, theplatform is made from polypropylene.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the pad 14 can be configured in variousdifferent ways. In the illustrated embodiment, the pad 14 has agenerally-rectangular shape that is similar to that of the platform 16.The pad 14 extends in a heightwise direction between its pad mountingsurface 28 and an opposing pad top surface (not shown). The pad topsurface is attached to the platform bottom surface 40. The pad 14 may bepermanently attached or removably attached to the platform bottomsurface.

The pad 14 can be made of one or more materials that are known in theart. The materials can be selected such that the pad 14 is operable toprovide a cushion between the housing 12 and platform 16 of the cleaningdevice 10, on the one hand, and the surface being cleaned, on the otherhand. The materials can additionally or alternatively be selected suchthat the pad 14 is operable to absorb excess liquid that flows from thedisposable cleaning towel (not shown) during and/or after use of thecleaning device 10. Examples of materials that may be used for the padinclude: a sponge material, a foam material (e.g., urethane foam, EVAfoam, PVC foam, latex foam, synthetic rubber foam, neoprene foam, etc.),an array of synthetic fibers (e.g., cellulose fibers, absorbent fibers,etc.). In some embodiments, the pad 14, or a portion thereof, can be atleast partially impregnated with a resin (e.g., a melamine resin).

In embodiments in which the cleaning device 10 includes a grip 30, thegrip 30 can be made of one or more materials that are known in the art.The materials can be selected such that the grip 30 (and thus thehousing top portion 18 that is held by a user) is comfortable to holdduring use of the cleaning device 10, and/or is slip resistant when wetwith a liquid. An example of an acceptable material is a rubbermaterial.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, in embodiments in which the cleaning device10 includes a scooper 60, the scooper 60 can be configured in variousdifferent ways. In the illustrated embodiment, the scooper 60 includes ascooper housing 62 that is removably attached to the housing 18. Thescooper housing 62 defines a scooper chamber 64 within which materials(e.g., crumbs, dirt, etc.) can be collected during use of the cleaningdevice 10. The scooper 60 is positioned relative to the pad 14 such thatthe base 66 of the scooper 60 is at least substantially flush (i.e.,co-planar) relative to the pad mounting surface 28. The scooper 60includes a scooper door 68 that is selectively moveable between a closedposition (see FIG. 6) and an open position (see FIG. 7).

Referring to FIG. 5, the movement of the platform 16 (and thus the pad14) relative to the housing 12, between its first position (see FIGS.1-5) and its second position (now shown), can be achieved in variousdifferent ways. As indicated above, in the illustrated embodiment thecleaning device 10 includes an ejector 32 that is connected to theplatform 16 such that movement of the ejector 32 (or a portion thereof)causes corresponding movement of the platform 16 (and thus correspondingmovement of the pad 14).

In the illustrated embodiment, the ejector 32 includes an ejector button48, an ejector biaser 50 (e.g., a spring), and an ejector shaft 52. Theejector 32 is positioned at least partially within a second housingcavity 54 that extends in a heightwise direction into the housing handle36 and the housing body 34. The ejector button 48 extends in aheightwise direction between an ejector button top surface 56 and anejector button bottom surface 58. The ejector button 48 slidably engagesthe surfaces of the housing handle 36 and the housing body 34 thatdefine the second housing cavity 54. The ejector button 48 is moveablerelative to the second housing cavity 54, between a first position (seeFIGS. 1-5) and a second position (not shown). In the first position, theejector button 48 is positioned relative to the second housing cavity 54such that the ejector button top surface 56 is at least substantiallyflush with an outer surface of the grip 30. In the second position, theejector button 48 is positioned at least substantially within the secondhousing cavity 54, such that a distance extends between a plane definedby the ejector button top surface 56 and a plane defined by the outersurface of the grip 30. The ejector biaser 50 extends between theejector button bottom surface 58 and a surface of the housing 12 thatdefines the second housing cavity 54. The ejector biaser 50 therebybiases the ejector button 48 toward its first position. The ejectorshaft 52 extends between the ejector button bottom surface 58 and theplatform top surface 42 to thereby connect the ejector 32 and theplatform 16. The ejector shaft 52 extends through an aperture thatconnects the first and second housing cavities 24, 54.

In the illustrated embodiment, movement of the ejector button 48 fromits first position (referred to hereinafter as the “operationalconfiguration” of the cleaning device 10) to its second position(referred to hereinafter as the “eject configuration” of the cleaningdevice) causes heightwise movement of the ejector shaft 52, which inturn causes movement of the platform 16 from its first position to itssecond position. The ejector button 48 is configured to be moved fromits first position to its second position by a user, for example, usinga finger of the hand that is holding the cleaning device 10. The ejectorbiaser 50 will cause the ejector button 48 to automatically return toits first position after a user removes his or her finger from theejector button 48.

The cleaning device 10 may initially be provided to a user in itsoperational configuration, without a disposable cleaning towel disposedthereon. To use the cleaning device, the user can mate a disposablecleaning towel (not shown) to the pad mounting surface 28, which in turnwill cause the disposable cleaning towel to become removably attached tothe one or more housing mounting surfaces 22. The removable attachmentof the disposable cleaning towel to the one or more housing mountingsurfaces 22 will prevent the disposable cleaning towel from coming loosefrom the cleaning device 10 during use. After use of the cleaning device10, the user can dispose of the soiled cleaning towel by moving thecleaning device 10 from its operational configuration to its ejectconfiguration, which will cause the platform 16 (and thus the pad 14attached thereto) to move relative to the housing 12. The housingmounting surfaces 22 will, in effect, retract into the pad apertures 26,causing the housing mounting surfaces 22 to become unattached from thesoiled cleaning towel. The soiled disposable cleaning towel may thensimply fall off (i.e., become unmated from) the pad mounting surface 28.In some instances, the user may need to provide a small force (e.g., asmall shaking force) to free (i.e., unmate) the disposable cleaningproduct from the housing mounting surfaces 22. In either event, the userwill avoid the need to touch the soiled cleaning towel during thedisposal process.

While several embodiments have been disclosed, it will be apparent tothose of ordinary skill in the art that aspects of the present inventioninclude many more embodiments and implementations. Accordingly, aspectsof the present invention are not to be restricted except in light of theattached claims and their equivalents. It will also be apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art that variations and modifications can bemade without departing from the true scope of the present disclosure.For example, in some instances, one or more features disclosed inconnection with one embodiment can be used alone or in combination withone or more features of one or more other embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cleaning device for use with a disposablecleaning towel, comprising: a housing having a housing top portion and ahousing bottom portion, the housing top portion being configured to beheld by a user, the housing bottom portion defining one or more housingmounting surfaces, and the housing bottom portion and the housing topportion partially defining a first housing cavity; a platform disposedat least partially within the first housing cavity; a pad attached tothe platform, the pad defining a pad aperture through which the one ormore housing mounting surfaces extend; wherein the platform and pad, areselectively moveable relative to the housing, between a first positionand a second position; wherein in the first position, the one or morehousing mounting surfaces are substantially flush relative to the padmounting surface; and wherein in the second position, the one or morehousing mounting surfaces are positioned within the pad aperture suchthat a distance extends between a plane defined by the housing mountingsurface and a plane defined by the pad surface.
 2. The cleaning deviceof claim 1, further comprising a grip disposed on the housing topportion.
 3. The cleaning device of claim 1, further comprising anejector operable to effect movement of the platform between its firstposition and its second position.
 4. The cleaning device of claim 1,wherein the on or more housing mounting surfaces include means toreleasably fix a disposable cleaning towel to the cleaning device. 5.The cleaning device of claim 4, wherein the means is Velcro.
 6. Thecleaning device of claim 4, wherein the means is an adhesive.
 7. Thecleaning device of claim 1, further comprising a scooper fixed to thehousing.